Simple Mastectomy and Axillary Lymph Node Biopsy Performed Under Paravertebral Block and Light Sedation in a Patient With Severe Cardiorespiratory Comorbidities: Proposed Management of Choice in High-Risk Breast Surgery Patients

Abstract

Introduction Most breast cancer diagnoses occur in an older age group, who also have an increased incidence of medical comorbidities, placing them in a high risk group for anesthesia. Nevertheless, many of these patients have early stage cancer with a good prognosis, and definitive surgery should be considered if at all possible. This case report describes the successful surgical management of a patient with multiple life-threatening comorbidities who was able to undergo simple mastectomy and sentinel lymph node biopsy under paravertebral block and light sedation. This anesthetic technique should be seriously considered as the management of choice in older high-risk patients with resectable breast cancer.